


The Family Disease

by ShotOfPatron



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Depression, Gen, Mother's Day, Mother-Son Relationship, mental health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-26 01:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20381143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShotOfPatron/pseuds/ShotOfPatron
Summary: Depression runs in Matt's family, on his mother's side.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This two-parter was inspired long ago in a forum by somebody who I never credited in my notes, therefore can't credit here. The discussion was how much Matt weighs, so that the phrase "190 pounds of depressed devil" could be incorporated. I have had the unfinished draft in my notes for a while, and considering I already have one lengthy unfinished story on here, I wanted to make sure it had an ending before posting. So here it is!

Matt took a deep breath. It hurt. 

He enjoyed the pain, so he took another deep breath. 

He told himself he was meditating. Each breath pushed out his fractured rib-cage, keeping him from focusing on anything else. 

The air came in. The pain intensified. He pushed the air out, and the pain went away. Without the pain, he felt empty, so he took another deep breath. 

He was certain that it was morning. He should get up, put on clothes, and go to the make-shift office that he and Foggy had started in the back of the butcher shop. 

A few more breaths, and he would. He would skip the shower, today. He would pull on pants, tie a tie… 

He remembered that they don’t have any clients. There were no court cases. Why did Matt really need to sit near all the meat today, when he could stay in his own apartment, alone with his failures? 

He breathed in. The pain was important. It reminded him of everybody that he had failed. One more breath, and he rallied enough to reach out for his cell phone. He tapped and spoke to the prompt. “Call Foggy.” 

It rang twice. “Hey man, you coming in today?” 

Foggy sounded so normal, so happy. It almost made Matt smile. 

Matt faked his own normalcy. “I was trying to remember if we had any meetings planned.” 

“Not yet. I was hoping we could get Mr. Godfrey to come in so we could wow him with our ability to negotiate settlements, but no luck so far. Why? Is it laundry day? Mr. Godfrey won’t care if you don’t have a tie.” 

“No, uh, I was just thinking of working at home, today.” 

“Oh no, you’re hurt, aren’t you? I didn’t see anything on the news. Should I have seen something on the news?” 

“I’m fine.” 

“You lie.” 

“I… just kind of need a day to myself.” 

“I’ll try not to take that too personally.” Foggy said. Matt truly thought he sounded hurt. 

“I’ll go over those notes from Nadia again, see if there’s anything else we can do for her. Call me if Mr. Godfrey wants to come in, and I’ll be right over.” 

“You’re really okay?” Foggy asked, he was concerned about his friend more than the work.

“No,” He replied. “But I will be.” 

“Not so sure I like you when you’re honest, buddy. Let me know if you need me to bring anything. Like some soup, or an orthopedic surgeon.” 

“Thanks Foggy. I’ll call you later.” 

* * *

Matt did email Foggy, later. He had reviewed Nadia’s case for the fifth time, still not seeing a way to help her get out of her assault charges. The woman had endured domestic abuse for five years, but the one moment she decided to fight back was when the neighbors decided to pay attention. The case was more than a professional endeavor for Matt. The only reason the judge had come down on her so harshly was that it appeared that she had caused her long-term boyfriend more harm than a woman of her size possibly could. The night before, the man had been approached by the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Matt could never have known that him giving the abusive boyfriend a black eye would cause that man’s girlfriend to have an additional five years on an assault charge. 

But Foggy didn’t know all of this. All Foggy knew was that Matt was obsessive about the case, and that likely meant that there was more to the situation. 

Having learned to look after his masked friend, Foggy looked into the news from the night before and learned that Matt had gotten punched up pretty good, in ways that were completely avoidable. Daredevil didn’t need to jump into a fistfight between three drunks at 2 am. He could have easily de-escalated the situation with one, maybe two, good swings. Daredevil only picked fistfights like that when he needed to release aggression, and Nadia’s case was definitely building up his aggression. 

So, against Matt’s wishes, Foggy packed up some fresh sandwiches and headed straight from “work” to his best friend’s apartment. 

When Matt finally came to the door, Foggy knew his bestie was in a dark place. Not physically, there were no visible bandages and he wasn’t limping much more than normal, but there were not-so-subtle clues that Foggy had finally learned were signs of him being in what could be described as nothing more than “A funk.” 

“I went all day without smelling Nelson’s Meats, Foggy.” 

“You love our pastrami and you know it.” Foggy replied. 

“Have you ever actually seen me eat pastrami?” Matt said, moving away so Foggy could enter the apartment. 

“The pastrami isn’t the important detail here. The important detail is that you aren’t leaving a trail of blood across the floor. Hurray!” 

Matt walked to the center of the living room and held his arms out. “I told you, I’m fine.” 

“One - that hoodie hides pretty much anything, so the fact that you are standing up is the only actual reassurance I have that you aren’t bleeding critically from your gut, and two - you’re a liar. Forgive me for still occasionally needing to be re-assured of your existence.” 

“I told you the truth. I just…I got used to working alone.” 

“I’ll try not to take that too personally.” Foggy responded. 

“Don’t. It’s not- I’m not…” Matt sighed. He looked even more vulnerable with is hair flopping into his face. “Thank you for coming over, Foggy. Do you mind if I just have the evening to myself?” 

“Sure.” Foggy replied, the hurt in his voice would have been noticeable even without super-senses. “See you at the shop tomorrow?” 

“Yeah. I’ll be there.” Matt replied. 

And he was. Matt dragged himself in, and focused on the meeting with Mr. Godfrey that Foggy finally arranged. Matt was usually quiet, but Foggy could tell that he was even more withdrawn than normal. But he managed to plaster on a smile (Foggy wondered how often Matt faked that smile) and they eased all of the older gentleman’s concerns. When the potential client was gone, Matt loosened his tie and exhaled more air than Foggy thought it was possible to breath. 

“I’m worried about you, buddy.” 

“Thanks, Foggy.” Matt replied. He helped brainstorm ideas, then took his leave, declining the offer for drinks. 

But still, a few hours later, Matt’s solitude was interrupted. He prepared to be aggravated with Foggy, but noticed it wasn’t just his best friend at the door. 

“At least you brought whiskey.” He said, as Karen and Foggy came inside. 

“Foggy and I don’t know why you are in this funk, but we are willing to drink until we are as funky as you.” Karen explained. 

“I think she means that in a good way, but I’m not so sure.” Foggy added. 

Matt didn’t say anything, just went to the kitchen and pulled out three glasses. 

“Karen, your idea might actually work!”

“Because obviously, when I said ‘I would really like to be alone,’ what I meant was ‘Everybody come to my place and get hammered.’” Matt interjected as he opened the bottle and began pouring. 

“By the looks of those pours, you don’t seem to have too many objections to this idea.” Karen noted. 

“I’m just trying to pick my battles.” 

Matt sipped the whiskey. It was a cheaper brand, one that burned a little bit more on the way down. The burn felt good, so he took another, longer drink. 

“And what battle are you dealing with, this week?” Karen asked. 

“Life.” 

Foggy hadn’t touched his glass, but looked closely at his friend. “That’s pretty broad. Any particular part of life?” 

Matt took a deep breath. The pain wasn’t there as much as 24 hours earlier. That should be a good thing. He worked at his lips a little bit before replying. “The end of it.” 

Foggy and Karen both gave Matt the courtesy of a quiet moment after that statement, taking a sip of their drink. 

“Yours?” Karen finally asked. 

Matt jerked up, but was slow to answer. “No… I, uh. Others.” 

Karen and Foggy sat a moment. 

“Do you want to tell us about any of them?” Karen asked. 

Matt laughed. It was his cruel laugh, the one that reminded his friends that he had such a darker side. “How about that woman you found in my bed that time, Karen? Or the old man that met you at the door that day. Because both of them meant a lot to me, in a twisted way, and now both of them are gone.” 

A moment passed, but Matt didn't say anything more. 

“You survived. Maybe Elektra did, too.” Foggy suggested. 

“Then she survived and wanted nothing to do with me.” Matt replied. 

“She was beautiful.” Karen said. 

“Yeah,” Matt replied. “She was.” He momentarily remembered the thrill of walking into a room with her and hearing everybody's heart rate increase. 

“Beautiful with some evil tendencies.” Foggy kept his voice soft, but keeping his mouth shut wasn’t his specialty. 

Matt rolled his eyes. “You’re right, Foggy. She was a murderer, so it’s probably best if she didn’t survive.” 

“I didn’t say that. I would never say that.” 

“She killed a whole mystic village, where-” Matt stopped talking. Danny’s secrets weren’t his to tell. “Where Danny Rand was hiding out for all of those years. But she wasn’t herself when that happened.” 

“Oh.” Karen wasn’t sure what to make of this. “When Foggy said she was evil, I thought he was just talking about, like, stealing your liquor in college.” 

“No, Elektra Natchios could steal liquor from much better sources than us.” Foggy replied. “I didn’t know she was a killer, Matt. I only knew that she broke your heart, in a bad way.” 

Matt poured another glass and continued to drink. Foggy and Karen were only halfway through their first. The three sat in awkward silence until Matt spoke up. 

“May I please be alone with my grief?” 

Karen threw back her drink and locked eyes with Foggy. “Yeah. Sure.” 

“Do you promise not to go out later?” Foggy asked. 

Matt rolled his eyes and gave his best friend the closest thing to a glare that he could manage.

“We’ll leave the bottle.” Foggy said. “Please don’t drink and Daredevil.” 

Foggy started walking toward the door, while Karen stayed close for a moment. “Have you tried talking to your mo-” she glanced toward Foggy, not knowing if he knew or if he heard her. “...to Sister Maggie?” 

Matt shook his head. Karen ran her fingers over his shoulder, then walked out the door with Foggy. 

* * *

They gave him the weekend to himself, but when Matt didn’t show up on Monday morning, Foggy was ready to embody the fiercest of super-villains to get his best friend to emerge yet again. He didn’t even bother knocking, just loudly making his entrance as he used his own key in the lock.

“Okay Murdock, it’s time to re-enter society.” He proclaimed as he walked into the living room. But it was empty, and the bedroom door was closed. “Do you have a woman in there?” 

A quiet “No,” came out. 

Foggy slid the door open. “Aw shit. This is bad, isn’t it?” 

Matt was on his side, tangled in his sheets, in a t-shirt, sweats, and thick fuzzy socks. His hair was in every direction, and he didn’t even bother to look up toward Foggy in the doorway. “Go away, Foggy.” 

“Not gonna do that, pal.” Foggy replied. 

“Please.” 

Foggy’s phone interrupted before he could start his carefully rehearsed monologue about pulling his friend out of a pit of despair. It was Karen. 

“He’s worse.” Foggy greeted her. 

“That’s okay. You go to the office. I have this.” Karen replied. 

Matt raised his eyebrows. 

“If you say so.” Foggy replied. 

Karen let herself into Matt’s apartment, with another set of footsteps behind her. Matt recognized both women immediately, but didn’t move. 

“Any cures you have for a 190-pound pile of depressed devil would be greatly appreciated.” Karen said, standing in the bedroom doorway with Sister Maggie. 

“I want the key to my apartment back.” Matt murmured, still not moving. 

“We should take it and give to some of those homeless people on the street. At least ten of them could have lived in all this space while you were driving me crazy at the church.” 

Matt swallowed. “Good to see you, too.” 

Maggie walked forward and sat in front of Matt, on the bed. Karen noticed that he seemed to wrap around her, fitting perfectly. “This isn’t sadness, Matt.” 

“Karen, can you give us a minute?” Matt asked. 

“Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll um…” 

“We’ll be fine, Karen. Go on to work, if you need to.” Maggie suggested. 

“Okay.” She said, then turned and left. 

Maggie ran her fingers through Matt’s hair. “I guess depression runs in our family.” 

“Yet another thing to thank you for.” He quipped. 

Maggie stilled her hand at his neck. “You could always learn from my mistakes. Get real help.” 

“Not my style.” 

“You’re right. Laying in bed for three days is pretty much the only way I’ve known you.” 

Matt started to reply with another biting remark, but stopped himself, allowing Maggie to continue. 

“More than anybody, you know the impact it has on others when deep depression goes untreated.” 

“I’m not a father.” 

“But you have a family, and they are worried about you.” 

“They shouldn’t be.” 

“You are wrong.” Despite the proclamation, her voice was kind. She took the moment to run her fingers over his scalp, checking to see if there were any new injuries she could treat. The physical damage was easier to fix than anything else. 

“I’m fine.” He nearly whispered. 

“Then come for a walk.” 

He rolled his eyes, but made no effort to move. Meanwhile, Maggie gave him one firm pat and stood up, looking around his bedroom. 

“You’ll need some clothes.” She said as she opened his closet. The row of nice suits caught her breath for a moment. She ran her fingers over one, noticing the braille tags and extra canes hidden in the closet behind them. “You’ve done well, Matty.” 

He rolled onto his back. Progress. “I’m glad you approve.”

“I know you have something more casual around here, somewhere.” 

Matt sighed and rolled his head toward her. “I’ll get dressed if you go and be nosy in my kitchen.” 

She huffed. 

“Help yourself to whatever you can find. Pretty sure there’s whiskey and coffee.” 

She pulled the door closed behind her as she stepped out, but stayed close to hear if he was getting out of the bed. 

Matt’s voice came through the door. “Really, I’m getting dressed.” 

“Good,” She replied. Then she stepped into the kitchen. She ran her fingers over the counter, which was impeccably clean for the home of a depressed, blind vigilante. She opened the fridge, which contained a bottle of beer and two eggs. The freezer had some bags of frozen vegetables, but nothing of actual substance. 

The door to the bedroom slid open slowly and Matt walked out in sweatpants and a hoodie. Maggie watched him sit on the couch and put on a pair of shoes. 

“It’s just a walk.” Matt stated. 

“Fresh air will do you more good than you think.” 

Matt laughed. It was his disturbing, choppy laugh that communicated a complete disregard for Maggie's comment. “The air down there isn't fresh.”

“I forget that you hang out above the clouds, sometimes.” 

Matt motioned toward the staircase in his apartment. “That's hardly above the clouds.”

Maggie looked at the staircase, noticing for the first time that there was a door at the top. “Would you prefer to go up there?” 

Matt walked to the kitchen, getting his glasses and wallet. “No. Walking is good.” 

Maggie followed Matt wordlessly as he walked down the short hallway, picked up his cane, and opened the door. They walked down the stairs in awkward silence. After stepping into the street, Matt unfurled his cane with a completely exhausted sigh. 

“Do you want my elbow?” Maggie asked. 

“You know I don't need it.” He replied. While the words were harsh, his tone was soft.

“I didn't ask if you need it.” 

Struggling to hide an inexplicable frustration, Matt moved his cane to his other hand and walked closer to Maggie. With the height difference his hand ended up lightly holding her bicep. The connection was comforting for both of them. 

They walked in silence for a long block, toward the Hudson. 

“Is this when you start giving me motherly advice?” Matt asked.

“It's not my specialty.” Maggie replied. 

“This is when you tell me that it's important to remember the outside world. Put things into perspective. Be proud of the small victories.” 

She responded with a huff of recognition. “Yeah. I've heard all of that.” 

Matt waited, wondering what brand of advice she had in mind. 

“I'm sure plenty of people have told you how to be happy. Prayer. Trauma therapy. Maybe a support group?”

“You forgot bartenders, girlfriends and Stick.” 

“Is that the old man that helped you as a kid?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm. What was his advice?” 

“Get the fuck over it.”

“Well. That's helpful.” She replied. 

“More than most, probably. He also taught me to meditate.” 

“Have you been meditating?”

Matt worked his lips for a moment, finding the right words. They reached an intersection and he pulled them to the right, walking toward uptown. How often had he faked that smile?

“Have you met Foggy?” Matt asked.

“Your attorney friend that came to the church?” 

Matt nodded. “He's the closest thing to family that I have… or had. Like a brother to me, I guess.”

“I'm glad you've had him” Maggie was sincere. 

“We've spent a lot of time together. Lived together in college, shared a tiny office during our internship. Shared a slightly larger office when we started our own firm. I've gotten to observe Foggy, in my way, for a while, now.” 

A small group walked by them on the sidewalk. The strangers awkwardly stepped off the curb to give a wide path for the blind man and nun. Matt sighed and pulled Maggie toward a bench nearby. 

“Foggy's life is straight-forward. Maybe it isn't easy or simple, but the best thing about him is that every day, when he gets up, he knows who he is. He's tried to be other people. Most recently, he tried to be a hot shot expensive attorney at a swanky firm uptown. He was good at it, too. But even then, he was still Foggy Nelson. Just had nicer shoes and more gel in his hair.

At the core, he's always genuine. Of course, he's lied. He's tried to hide things from me, he's human. But there's no facade.”

Matt fiddled with his cane while he found the next words. “I can't imagine what that's like.” 

Maggie took his hand in hers and held it tight. 

“Neither can I.” She replied. 

“You don't have to pretend to understand.” Matt said.

“I wake up everyday and put on a costume, Matt. Everybody does, in their own way. Your's is more complicated than most. I won't pretend that anybody has any clue what that's like. Stepping out the door with glasses to hide yourself and a cane you don't really need, it's a lot.” 

When Maggie didn't continue, Matt looked toward her, raising his eyebrows.

“You know, I've never been on the roof of any of these buildings. I want to see your roof.” 

“Now?” 

“Unless you need to go to your office, instead?” 

“I should drop in and see if Foggy needs any help. You haven't eaten all day. Let me formally introduce you to Nelson's Meats.” 

“Show-off.” Maggie mumbled as they got up.


	2. Chapter 2: Mother's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does this Mother-Son relationship even work?

Matt Murdock was doing better. 

He and Foggy got Nadia off on grounds of self defense, and that raised his spirits a good bit. Matt insisted that she didn't need to pay and Foggy eventually figured out why. Matt was juggling his day job with his extra-curricular activities and it all started to feel a bit normal. 

Matt and Foggy even made it back to Josie's. She grumbled about not re-opening their tab, but Matt knew she wasn't charging them the same as everybody else. 

All three members of Nelson, Murdock and Page were at their usual table, drinking beers, waiting for the pool table to open up. It had been a good week, and Karen decided the best way to finish it would be to let Matt show her his real skills on the pool table. It was nice, on rare occasions, to see Matt use his abilities in a way that didn't involve violence. 

“Matt, are you sure you don't want to come with me to visit mom? Florida sounds awful, but at least it's warmer than this craptastic weather we're having here.”

“No Foggy. I'm not crashing your Mother’s Day visit.” Matt responded. 

“Come on, Matt. I hate traveling alone. Just this one time, come with me.”

“What about your brother?” Karen asked.

“He has to stay here and run the shop.” 

“I need to stay here and run the firm.” Matt said.

“The firm isn't open on the weekends and we can take a Friday afternoon off. Karen can come too. We can… have a company dinner and call it a business retreat.” 

Matt laughed and took a drink of his beer.

“So that's a yes?” Foggy started to light up.

Karen jumped in. “Maybe we should do the NMP Florida retreat at Christmas. Matt probably wants to spend Mother's Day-”

“-Um. I. Karen.” Matt interrupted. He was stumbling over words in a way that Foggy and Karen both knew as a classic sign that he was making up a (bad) lie. 

“Oh shit. Seriously?” Karen responded.

Matt looked toward her. “I… it… I never…” 

Foggy was suddenly very serious. He sat his beer down with a satisfying pound. “What. The. Fuck.”

“It's not. Foggy it's not. I-”

“I thought there were no more secrets Matt? Not between us, at least.” Karen said. Matt could tell she was pissed.

“I don't think this really counts as a secret. I just never told him.”

“Spill.” Foggy said. His tone rivalled that of Wilson Fisk when he thought his precious Vanessa was in danger.

Matt chewed on his lip a moment, trying to figure out how to explain.

“It's good news for once, Matt. Just say it!” Karen pushed.

“I'm trying, damnit. Just, please.” 

Foggy relaxed a little at this, completely confused but relieved to know whatever Matt was about to spill wasn't completely awful.

“You remember Sister Maggie?” Matt asked.

“That spunky nun that puts up with you far more than she should considering what a dick you are around her?”

“Yep. Her.”

“Yeah.”

Matt picked at the label on his beer until Karen nearly exploded. She slammed on the table far harder than necessary to snap him out of it. Matt looked up toward Foggy. 

“I swear to God, just tell me, Matt.”

“I, uh. She… she's my mom.”

Foggy went silent for a moment, looking toward Karen. 

“I'm sorry, I thought you knew!” Karen said. 

“Holy fuck.” Foggy said. Matt could tell he was happier about the news than he was mad that he didn't know. “Holy fuck, Matt, this is amazing.” 

Matt smiled and continued to fiddle with his beer.

“I… how? When? What are… shit man. I need a shot. Who wants shots?”

“Uh, yeah. Definitely.” Matt and Karen responded.

“Karen, get us shots.” Foggy directed.

“What? You-”

Foggy interrupted her with a glare and motioned with his hands to push her away. 

“Sure thing.” Karen said, realizing that Foggy wanted a moment alone.

“This is amazing, man.” Foggy said, grabbing Matt's shoulder. “But I assume you've known for a little while.” 

“Yeah. I uh, learned about it when I was staying at the church. Before Father Lantom…”

“Oh.”

“I didn't mean to keep it a secret. There was just a lot going on and it didn't come up.” 

“I understand.” Foggy replied.

“Really?” Matt asked, somewhat surprised.

“I'm so happy for you. Really. This is exciting.” Foggy was slowly working up to his happy-excited mode, the one that could talk Karen into drinking until dawn and keep Matt out until at least midnight. 

“Thanks. Foggy. That means a lot.”

“Holy shit, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when she told you.” 

Matt raised his eyebrows. “She didn't tell me, Foggy.”

“Oh no. Oh no Matt. She knows you know, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah. We've… well she knows I know. I found out accidentally.”

“Eavesdropping on a nun? Matthew!”

“I wasn't… okay. Yeah. I wasn't intentionally eavesdropping. I just… heard it.”

“She just happened to be talking to another nun or something about how the damaged vigilante in the church basement also happened to be her flesh and blood?” 

Karen walked up with three shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. “I told Josie what we were celebrating and she sent over a bottle of her shittiest tequila, on the house.”

Matt sighed with relief and turned toward the bar as Karen poured. “Thank you, Josie!”

“If she's lying to me, you guys aren't getting another bottle with that same story.” Josie responded.

Matt laughed and reached for one of the glasses Karen filled. 

“Spill.” Foggy said. 

“I overheard her praying.” Matt said.

“Whoa, Dude.” Foggy recoiled. “Not cool.”

Matt shrugged. “As a kid growing up in a Catholic orphanage, I did it far more than now.”

“Wow Matt.” Karen responded.

“I have to keep from thinking about it or else I realize all the secrets of mine he probably overheard in college and…. Ugh.” 

Matt looked toward Foggy and grinned. “It's okay, Fog. Really.”

“Eavesdropping on a nun's conversation with God is not okay, Murdock.”

“Father Lantom forgave me.” Matt said. “At least, well. It's complicated.”

“He knew, too?” Karen asked, softly.

Matt nodded as he pretended to try to find the tequila bottle. “It was our last conversation.” 

“Aw shit, Matt.” Karen said. The pity in her voice was more than Matt and Foggy could bear.

“Is anything in your life not fucked up?” Foggy asked.

“Yeah,” Matt responded with a genuine smile. “I know my mom.”

Foggy laughed and leaned in to give Matt an awkward hug. “Yeah, man. This is awesome!” 

“So, I guess you have big Mother's Day plans?” Karen asked, bringing them back to the original conversation.

“No. It's not like that.” 

“Not like what, buddy?” 

“Not… it's not like we're suddenly… I don't…” 

“Oh my God.” Foggy replied. “I've never really met any of your blood-relations. I bet she's as fucked up as you.” 

Matt looked genuinely offended. “She's not fucked up, Foggy.”

“That's his mother your talking about!” Karen added.

“I didn't mean it that way. Just, Matt has relationship issues, and while I don't know all the details, I imagine that he would have grown up knowing his own mother was alive if she didn't have a few, herself.” 

Matt wanted to object, but Foggy was somewhat close to the truth, so he just shrugged. “We're figuring things out.” 

“That's something you say about a girlfriend, not your mother.” Karen replied.

Matt sighed and took another shot. He fidgeted for a moment then turned toward Karen. “I could still fuck it up.”

“She already knows your biggest secret.” Foggy interjected. “This explains why she was willing to put up with so much of your bullshit. I know she's a nun and all, but surely God only expects so much.”

Matt laughed. “Yeah. She has limits. Even with me.”

“You owe her, Murdock. You owe her big.”

Matt grimaced. “Well, if she wanted flowers every May, she could have let her son know she existed.”

Foggy reeled back a little at the bluntness. “Whoa, okay, so it’s like that. But if Momma Matt is anything like her son, you're going to have to push a little to make this relationship work.”

“Noted.” 

“But don't worry. I'll teach you how to be the best son ever.” 

Matt laughed. “Thanks Foggy. I appreciate it.” 

…

It was the early service, and Matt arrived earlier than any other parishioners. He held a small bouquet of flowers that Foggy assured him looked good and didn’t include any red. He stood quietly outside the kitchen of the communal living quarters, waiting for the right moment. Finally, just after one young nun left, the older woman stepped in. She was alone. 

“Good morning.” He said, as he revealed himself. 

Maggie gasped and stepped back. She looked around to see if anybody was there, then looked for signs of blood on him. “Matthew! What are you doing here?” 

He held the flowers toward her with a slight shrug. “It’s Mother’s Day.” 

“Oh.” Maggie replied. Her heart sped and adrenaline pumped. Matt worried that she was going to pass out, so he dropped the flowers on a nearby table, pulled out a chair and moved her toward it. 

Maggie stared at the flowers next to her, her heartbeat slowing. “Oh.” She repeated. 

Matt didn’t know what to do, so he poured her a cup of coffee. 

She held the coffee in her hands while he sat across from her in silence. She took a few sips of coffee. “Why do you always have to be so dramatic?” 

Matt was genuinely confused. “Is it the flowers? Foggy said they were-” 

“It’s the sneaking into the kitchen first thing in the morning.”

Matt fidgetted. “I, uh… wanted to be discreet.” 

“You could be discreet in the afternoon, you know.” 

Matt cocked his head to listen for anybody intruding on their moment, before speaking. “We can’t make up for lost time, but this...day comes once a year. And this year, you’ve done so much for me. I thought the least I could do, today, is to attend Mass with you.” 

“How gracious of you.” Maggie replied. But Matt could tell she was fighting back tears. 

“I also brought flowers.” 

Maggie giggled. “They’re perfect. I’ll put them in water, then I need to continue getting ready. Will you be taking communion?” 

Matt sighed, not only was this his first time attending mass since the death of Father Lantom, he no longer had a priest to whom he was comfortable confessing. “Not today.” 

“If you haven’t confessed, are you at least talking to somebody? A therapist, maybe?” 

“Foggy.” 

“He’s an attorney, not a therapist.” 

“I trust him, and I’m fine.” 

“Hmph.” 

Matt rolled his eyes. 

“I’m going to get the children ready. You put these in water and meet me downstairs for the Eucharist.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” 

Matt and Maggie stood up and Maggie turned to leave the room, but stopped. She turned back and went to Matt. She stood on her toes and gently pulled him toward her, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.” She whispered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I vaguely remember the original prompt coming with bonus points for getting Matt into therapy. HAH! I'm not that good. This is as far as I could get it. Thank you for reading!


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